Splitting Up

Chapter Two: News Worse Than Huey Lewis and the News But

Still Better Than Fox News

"What do you mean ‘bunk' with you?" Sweetie Belle asked with a complaining tone. She had just learned that the father of Rainbow Dash was going to be spending his nights in Ponyville in her bed even though it was actually just for guests in general, and Sweetie Belle was using it while her parents were on vacation again). Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Strike both were in the guest bedroom, talking about whatever news he brought with him. Rarity, being the Gabby Gums that she is, had her ear pressed against the door to the guest bedroom. The clocks on the wall rang in the sixth of the evening about fifteen minutes ago.

"Mr. Strike will be sleeping in the guest bedroom, so you will be sleeping in mine," Rarity repeated.

"But, why does he have to stay here?" Sweetie Belle whined, "Why can't he stay with Rainbow Dash?"

Rarity began to get agitated, "Because, Sweetie Belle, he can't fly. Now shush!"

"But—"

Rarity pulled her ear from the door and snapped, "Sweetie Belle, I don't want to hear another ‘but' come out of your mouth for the rest of the night! Mr. Strike is our guest and you will treat him with respect." She returned her ear to the door, "Besides, you will probably have the entire bed to yourself anyways."

"Eww," Sweetie Belle gagged, her mind racing for the gutter, as it should. She approached the stairs leading down into the public part of the boutique, "I think I'll stay at Scootaloo's tonight," and she made her way downstairs.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the furtively-listened door, Rainbow Dash and her father were having their little chat.

"So, your letter you said you had some important news?" Rainbow Dash said, trying to start some snowball of conversation.

Rainbow Strike sighed before commanding, "Sit down, Dashie." He patted the edge of the bed invitingly before hopping on it himself. Rainbow Dash obeyed, sitting beside her father. "Your mother and I… are splitting up, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash's heart skipped a beat. "What? Like separation?"

"No, like divorce."

"But, but, but, why?" Rainbow Dash's trembling voice was loud, loud enough for the intruding silvery-white ears in the next room to hear. "Was it something I did? Was it because I didn't come to visit you and Mom in Manehattan very often?"

Rainbow Strike gently placed his foreleg around his daughter and said softly, "No, no, Dashie. It's not you. Your mother and I just don't love each other anymore." He took a moment before adding, "And you mother cheated on me with another stallion."

Another sensation of shock crossed Rainbow Dash's heart. She pulled from Rainbow Strike in objection to his accusations, "What?! Mom would never do a thing like that!"

"But she did, Dashie. I walked in on them."

Rainbow Dash did not understand how, or why, this could be happening to her, or why her mother would do such a thing.

"But, Rainbow Dash," Rainbow Strike said, "no matter what happens, I will always love you." He pulled in Rainbow Dash close and hugged her as a little tear escaped Rainbow Dash's brave eyes.

* * *

Even though it was on such a short notice, Scootaloo welcomed Sweetie Belle into her home. Scootaloo's place was located just down the street from Sugar Cube Corner; and no amount of staring, gazing, or examining would force its appearance from the neighboring houses. The last time Sweetie Belle was here was before the formation of her and her friends' club and the beginning of their crusades.

The house was quite ordinary, decorated with simple wooden tables, plain blue rugs, generic wooden floors, and firmly cushioned couches. There were two bedrooms: Scootaloo's and her mother's. Both were just as ordinary as the rest of the house. The only things that felt custom in the house were photos of Scootaloo and her mother—and just her mother—the Wonderbolts posters on Scootaloo's bedroom walls, and the Rainbow-Dash-themed shrine in her closet.

Scootaloo led Sweetie Belle into the house's living room, which was an old couch, a dirty rug, and hearth all thrown together. Personal touches were but scarce. The fillies hopped their little bodies onto the couch. Behind Scootaloo was an opened photograph album.

"So, why do you want to stay here?" Scootaloo asked.

"Rarity gave my room to Rainbow Dash's father."

Disbelief struck Scootaloo like a hammer. "Wait! The father of the Great Rainbow Dash is staying at your sister's boutique?" Sweetie Belle answered slowly, "Yeah."

The excitement in Scootaloo was released as a shutter. "Awesome! What's he like?!"

"He's a lot like Rainbow Dash. Apparently, he was a Wonderbolt."

Scootaloo's eyes glistened. "Do you think he could show me some sweet moves?"

"Doubtful. According to my sister, he can't fly anymore."

Gone was the glistening, and it was replaced with empathy. "Why not?"

"Rarity didn't say. She was too busy spying on him and Rainbow Dash. I think she has a crush on him."

Scootaloo laughed, "Yeah, like the one you had on Snips?"

"I thought we agreed to never speak of that," Sweetie Belle said sharply. She noticed the open album behind Scootaloo. "What's that?"

Scootaloo's eyes darted behind herself and answered, "I was bored so I decided to look through some of Mom's old photo albums."

"Can I see?"

Scootaloo turned around to grab the album and spread it across her and Sweetie Belle's lap. She flipped to the beginning.

Sunny Daze was the name of Scootaloo's mother. The first five or so pages of pictures, a total of twenty-three, were all about Sunny Daze's childhood. Hearth's Warming Eve, Nightmare Night, it was all there and always taken at Scootaloo's grandparent's place in Cloudsdale, Sunny Daze's hometown. And as the pages turned, so did the years as the photos depicted growth in both Sunny Daze's size and maturity. Almost instantly the orange-maned, scarlet-coated pegasus went from filly to mare, getting her cutie mark—a yellow sun, but not as majestic as Princess Celestia's—in the process. Sunny Daze was a maternity nurse at Cloudsdale Hospital before moving to Ponyville and working at the hospital there. She was not a strict mother, not usually at least. But she was extremely protective of her little cub.

About halfway through the album, the fillies found a photo of special interest. It was an outside shot with clear skies (well, as clear as it can get in Cloudsdale) and of Sunny Daze with a lavender-coated stallion in a Wonderbolt uniform, minus the aerial goggles, with a short rainbow mane and tail They looked happy together.

"That's him!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"Who?"

"Rainbow Dash's father, Rainbow Strike! I didn't know that your mother knew him."

"Yeah, me neither."

The front door opened and shut. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked to see who it was, leaning from the couch. Sunny Daze—Mom.

In a voice as sweet as wild mountain honey, Sunny said, "Scootaloo, tomorrow we need to go to the clinic so you can get a feather flu shot. We got about twelve pegasi come in sick with it today."

Scootaloo sulkily slouched in her seat and whined.

After hanging up her nurse's cap, Sunny Daze turned around, still in uniform, and saw Sweetie Belle's gleeful face. "Oh, hello, Sweetie Belle. Are you staying over for the night?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Scootaloo, with her mother approaching the couch, asked, "Hey, Mom, how do you know Rainbow Strike?"

Sunny Daze stopped in her tracks. With all due seriousness, she volleyed, "How do you know that name?"

"He's in town. Why didn't tell me that you knew Rainbow Dash's father?"

Sunny's eyes glanced over the photo album and saw Photo Zero. Again with unusual stiffness, she said, "That was a long, long time ago."

"Then can we go see him—"

"No! Okay, Scootaloo? I don't want you to ever see or talk with that stallion. Do you understand, Scootaloo?"

"But—"

"Do you understand?"

Scootaloo looked to Sweetie Belle and her curious expression. Scootaloo flushed, "Yeah?"

"Okay." Then back in her originally sweet voice, Sunny Daze said, "Now how about I get dinner started for everypony?" She walked into the kitchen.

Nothing more was mentioned about Rainbow Strike or whatever business he once had with Sunny Daze that night.

* * *

Rainbow Dash didn't even get an hour of sleep that night, but when the roosters at Sweet Apple Acres came crowing, she got up. She had gone straight home from Rarity's place. And now, she wanted nothing more than to talk it over with somepony, so she flew to the one pony that everypony seemed to go to when they have problems.

Twilight was already wide awake when Rainbow Dash arrived. She welcomed Rainbow Dash into the library; and Pinkie Pie was also there, returning some romance novels she borrowed. Almost immediately, Rainbow Dash spilled out the thing eating at her gut.

"I don't know what to do," Rainbow Dash moped as she began pacing back and forth.

"There's nothing you really can do," Twilight said.

Pinkie Pie hopped up to Rainbow Dash, "You could throw him a party saying, ‘Happy Divorce!'"

Twilight said, "Pinkie Pie, you don't throw a party for somepony getting a divorce. Divorce is a very solemn occasion in a pony's life."

In a sing-song voice, Pinkie Pie replied, "Sounds to me like that would be the perfect reason to throw a party."

Twilight rolled her eyes. She turned to Rainbow Dash, "Look, what you're feeling is perfectly normal for foals of ponies getting divorced."

"Yeah, but my mother cheated on my dad! I learned how to be loyal to my friends from my mother!"

"I know you're questioning things right now, but you have nothing to worry about," Twilight reassured.

"Yeah, I guess so."

* * *

Rainbow Strike's party started about six in the evening. Rainbow Dash stayed at her cloud palace all day after leaving the library, and she protested going to the party when Pinkie Pie and Twilight came for her half an hour beforehand.

"Come on, Rainbow Dash," Twilight shouted up to the heavens, "Do you think you're being a little too dramatic about this?"

"Oh, yeah? Well, let's see you say that when your parents get divorced!" Rainbow Dash yelled back.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Rainbow Dash, I think your father would want you there at the party with him."

Fine, Rainbow Dash thought.

* * *

Upon walking into Sugar Cube Corner, the three could see that there were already as many ponies here as there were decorations, all of them eager to see the father of the "Great Rainbow Dash."

"Wow!" Twilight awed, "It looks like nearly everypony in Ponyville is already here!"

"And Rainbow Strike isn't even here yet!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Being caught up in the life of the party they walked off, leaving Rainbow Dash by herself. She walked over to a nearby wall and leaned against it. She closed her eyes. Oh, how she did not want to be here.

In the midst of her thinking, she heard a small, excited voice say, "Hey, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to see Scootaloo. For the first time that day, she smiled. "Hey, Scootaloo."

For the first time in her life, Scootaloo had disobeyed a direct order from her mother. With the assistance of her friends, she snuck out of her home through her bedroom window. There was no chance—no chance whatsoever—that she was going to miss out on meeting the father of her idol and big sister.

"I can't believe that I finally get to meet your dad!" Scootaloo yelled excitedly.

"Yeah, he's pretty awesome. Most ponies aren't lucky enough to get a dad as cool as mine."

"I wish I knew the feeling, sister."

* * *

The party roared when Rainbow Strike arrived there several minutes later. Nearly everypony was there, except Sunny Daze. Rainbow Dash continued to be a shadow against the wall; and not even her dad, friends, or student could cheer her up to anything but a slight smile. A party just was not what she needed. Or wanted. And at about eight, she left Sugar Cube Corner for home.

The summer sun was barely even above the horizon when Rainbow Dash exited the sweets shop. The sky was painted with all sorts of strange orange and pink shades swirled together. The moon glowed and stars twinkled on the darker half of the sky. The whistle of the departing train screeched through the village.

Rainbow Dash's head hung low as she walked through the village toward her house on the outskirts of Ponyville. As she walked, she did not notice a pegasus in front of her before she accidentally bumped into her.

"Sorry," Rainbow Dash mumbled without raising her head and began walking away.

"Dashie?" the pegasus said, grabbing Rainbow Dash's attention. She raised her head and turned to the mare. The pony had a light orange coat; and a mane and tail that was much like Rainbow Dash's, only longer. A cutie mark of a baby-bottle covered her flank. The pony, though not necessarily the appropriate age for them, wore reading glasses. The pony adjusted her glasses.

Rainbow Dash recognized the pony. Her eyes widened before she cried, "Mom?"